


Just Duet

by personalphilosophie



Category: The Dark Crystal (1982)
Genre: Anxiety, Comedy, F/M, Fluff, Necromancy, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Traditions, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2019-12-30 21:28:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18322319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/personalphilosophie/pseuds/personalphilosophie
Summary: On the eve of his wedding day, Jen is Filled With Nervousness. Kira is not. Aughra has an unusual wedding gift in mind, and the Podlings have mud in hand. Poor Jen. He can't catch a break.





	1. Chapter 1

“Kira, Kira are you awake?” Jen whispered, tapping lightly at her door. “I can’t sleep,”

He heard the shifting of cloth as his intended slid from her covers and padded across the floor.

“Jen?” she yawned. “What time is it?”

“A little past the first hour. Can I come in?”

Kira giggled, and Jen felt his heart skip a beat.

“But Jen, it’s a clan tradition. We aren’t supposed to look at each other until the finding!’

“Well, I can’t see anything in all this darkness, can you?” he huffed.

“No, I guess not....” she paused, and then he heard the door unlatch and swing open. Kira’s small hands found his and pulled him through the entryway, and then shut the door.

“I’ll make sure I’m gone before sunrise,”he promised reluctantly.

It was difficult for him to stray from her side now. She was so delicate. Even all the powers of the crystal hadn’t restored her to the brave, bare-footed wild girl he’d met on the marshes. She lay fitfully now, as if terrified she could slip from a deep sleep into the deepest of them all. 

“Jen, no fretting,” Kira scolded. “This is a  _ happy _ day, remember? Even Fizzgig is excited for us,”

Jen suddenly became aware of a hairy creature attempting to eat his pant leg. 

“Hello Fizz, please stop that,” he stooped and tore him off of his midnight snack. Fizzgig did not seem particularly excited for the wedding, despite Kira’s insistence he was. In fact, he was still not particularly excited about Jen, and the fact that his mistress loved Jen was only enough to bump him up from “deplored” to “tolerated”.

‘I almost wish I could skip the wedding part and go straight to being wedded,’ he thought.    
The rituals of the Mystics were intricate, but slow. Each had been plotted out hundreds of years before, with set songs and incantations for the corresponding heavenly signs. Usually his part was small, playing in harmony with the Chanter or fetching things. Never before had he had one of the biggest roles. This was completely new, and given his past record with large rituals that he played a vital role in, he was starting to get very-

“Jen,” Kira tugged on a strand of his hair. “Jen you’re going to do fine, I promise. Stop worrying,”

His ears twitched.

‘I’m that obvious?” 

“Only to me,” she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

“I don’t suppose you’d give me a hint as to where you’re going, would you?” he said mournfully.

“Of course not, silly. That’d defeat the whole purpose,”

“But what if something happens to you? What if you fall and then you can’t-”

“Jen,”

“Sorry. I know you know the Dark Forest like you know yourself, but it hasn’t even been a year since.... You came back. You can’t fly as well anymore because I.. I ruined things,” he pulled Kira to him and squeezed tight.

“I’ve told you before that none of that matters now. Not to me. Everything worked out in the end,”

“Kira, you  _ died _ !”

“I got better! And besides, Fizzgig will be with me and I won’t go far. You have to promise me you’ll have fun and won’t worry,”

“I promise I’ll try, but I don’t know if I’ll manage to...” he hesitated. “I should leave soon and let you rest,”

“I am tired, but I think you need the rest more than I do,” Kira nuzzled into his shoulder. “If you want to stay and talk more I understand, though,”

“No, you’re right. But Kira..?” he blushed, and was grateful for the darkness. “Can I kiss you goodnight?”

“Are you still going to ask me that even after we get married?” she teased, and tapped him lightly on the nose.

“Maybe I will. It’s hard to break an old habit,” Jen laughed in spite of himself. 

He leaned in and kissed her, and felt the tightness in his chest disappear. At least for the moment. A few whispered goodbyes and a quick pat to Fizzgig, and Jen left. He wandered through the Podling Village aimlessly for a while, finally coming to rest at the edges of the forest. Choosing his favorite tree, he swung himself into the nest of low-hanging branches and settled there. His mind was going as fast as a Landstrider despite Kira’s assurances. 

In search of something to help him wait out the hours until sunsrise, Jen pulled out his firca. He blew a quiet test note. It came out clear and sweet as spring water. Satisfied, he began to practice. He played the song twice, first as is, and the second time with a few small changes throughout. The tune was his wedding present for Kira. He supposed wedding gifts were traditionally something tangible. Practical things for a new couple starting their life together. His talents did not lie in such areas, being gifted in words, numbers, and music. So she would have to settle for the best he could offer. It was a simple tune to play, but he had agonized over every note and rest in the thing. 

Jen held out the final note, letting it ring among the grey shadows that signalled the end of the night. There. He felt satisfied with it. Tired at last, he slipped from his perch amongst the tree limbs and began walking back. Ydra had insisted he be banished from the house and instead spend the night with her brother Ykend. (Lest he emerge a moment too early and unravel all her careful preparations)

He entered the hearthroom as quietly as possible, but his efforts amounted to nothing. To his despair, the elderly farmer was waiting for him.

“ _ Ahh, Jen! Playing Firca! Good sound!”  _ Yden chattered away in a mix of the two languages. “ _ No playing now, sleep! Sleep before big hunt in the morning!” _

“ _ Ah, yes. But too... nervous.”  _ Jen stammered. The Podling language was still strange to him, despite all of Kira’s patience with his lessons.   

“ _ No reason, no reason! All pod nervous. Even ones married two, three, ten times!”  _ the farmer laughed uproariously. “ _ Want sleep herbs?” _

_ “No thank you.” _ Jen said politely, wincing at his own hideous accent. “ _ Not much hours before suns... up. Go to lay down now, thank you.” _

The old man muttered something Jen couldn’t discern, and pointed him to where he would be sleeping. He collapsed onto the hammock, and lazily stretched out a leg to set the hammock swinging. His old cloak served well enough as a blanket. The night was warm, and a breeze stroked his hair. 

“No more worrying,” he told himself. “You promised Kira. And if she’s not nervous you have no reason to be.”

He felt a pang of longing for the Mystics. Especially his Master. 

“I wish you could be here to see it,” he thought sadly. “And to see how happy I’ve become,”

And with that last thought, he drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

There seemed to be a recurrent pattern in Jen's life. Long bouts of utter boredom, and then sudden flurries of excitement that carried him along like a leaf in a storm. He had fallen asleep on the hammock (for only a moment, it had seemed) before being suddenly and violently awoken by a cluster of podlings attempting to flip him over.

" _ Jen! Jen _ !" they chattered over and over. " _ Time to wash and dress! Dress for Finding!" _

Then someone had made a joke much too complicated for him to understand, and they all cheered and clanked their mugs together.  This litany repeated itself until he had been swarmed and escorted from the hut and into the outdoors. The morning was cold, but already heavy with the promise of a warm afternoon. They quickly herded him down to the river, clapping him on the back and laughing all the while. He also laughed, though it was audibly nervous. Kira had explained this part of the ritual to him, but the forewarning helped little.

"It symbolizes birth," she'd explained as he painstakingly wrote down the steps, "How you're clean, and new, and taken care of by everyone,"

"Yes but Kira, the  _ entire _ village?"

"Oh no,of course not,"

But before the sigh of relief could escape his lips she'd added:

"Just the men,"

_ "Kira!" _

He was startled from the reverie by a sudden shout that had gone up from the group. They had arrived at the river, and his public, nuptial-mandated bath had come at last. He wasn’t eager for any part of this. Going from the warm brook in the Mystics’ valley to the cold river was a big adjustment for him. The Podlings despised any form of washing, and so the comfort level of a bath was never of any concern to them.  Jen stripped off his sleeping-tunic and bent over. His plan was to begin by washing his face in order to get used to the temperature a little. It did not work out that way.

Instead, Jen had presented himself as the most tempting target possible to a mischievous mind. And he was present amongst a hive of mischievous minds. Several small hands shoved into his back, and Jen went toppling into the near-freezing water, pants still on.

He kicked his way to the surface, sputtering and pushing back the wet hair from his eyes.

“ _ No easing into life! _ ” guffawed Yden. “ _ Sudden! Exciting! _ ”

Well, he could hardly argue with that. Jen leaned back and kicked up a frothing wave, dousing several of the nearest Podlings. More laughter and yelling followed, and several of Jen’s victims let out a rallying cry and charged in after him fully dressed. 

“Incredible!” Jen thought with glee as he was repeatedly and forcibly dunked. ‘Here I am, a man grown, and experiencing things like this for the first time,”

However, all good things must come to an end. About an hour later, Ydra ran up the path and began scolding and fretting about them all being late. From what Jen understood, this was very serious, as arriving three hours late to something was considered early in Podling culture.  Jen waded dutifully to the shallows and washed himself from head to toe, paying careful attention to behind his ears.

“Why bother getting clean in the first place when a major part of the ceremony is to get as dirty as possible?” he’d asked Kira once, while they slaved over a boiling tub of hurka root.

“It’s good luck! The dirtier you are, the better your marriage will be,” she said very matter-of-factly. “It’s why the marriage clothes are white. So you can see how much luck you’ve got,”

He and Kira had painstakingly made their clothes side by side, whittling the hours down with songs and stories. FIzzgig had also been put to work shredding up the roots with his teeth. Jen’s task had been weaving and dyeing the fabric. He was more used to it than Kira, and UrUtt had taught him well. Kira had done the actual sewing and embroidering.  

Kira had consulted with Aughra all about traditional gelfling symbols, and had stitched every single one painstakingly in white thread. Jen could barely make any of them out, but he could feel them there. It seemed a waste to him initially, that no one could see her hard work.But when he’d mentioned that to her she’d just looked at him with those big brown eyes and said:

“I know,”.

He’d never brought it up again. 

He could recall those moments so clearly with each touch of the soft white fabric. Almost as clearly as if they’d been dream-stitched into every seam. And there were a lot of seams. 

Jen tried to catch a glimpse of himself in the water. Was everything on straight? Did it look all right? 

“Jen look  _ uchi uchi _ handsome.” Yden clapped him on the back, his heavy accent ringing through the air.. “Like gelfling prince!”

Jen’s ear tips burned bright red. 

“Take a good look while it lasts,” he chuckled nervously. “I’m sure I’ll trip and fall right in the mud as soon as I take a step,”

“Even better!” 

Jen was quiet the whole walk up back to the village. He’d been mentally preparing for this moment for weeks, and now it was here. How strange, to be nervous and fretting over getting married when he had already suffered through such frightening other things? The death of his Master, setting off alone, the Garthim attack at Aughra’s-

“ _ Is Mother Aughra here yet? _ ” he asked Yden. The podling farmer shook his head. 

“ _ Not yet. _ ” Said the farmer. “ _ Mother Aughra will not miss, no worries. Be here when you return! _ ”

“Strange,” Jen thought to himself. “She’d said this was important to her. ‘Would not miss it for the world, for the world cannot miss it.’ Were her exact words. I wonder if she’s planning something,”

However, he had no more time to think about this. The walk was over, and the whole Podling village was with him at the trail leading into the forest. His heart skipped several beats in a row. 

“Jen!” Ydra grasped his hand and held it up high. “Kira go first and wait, because she older of two. Jen now go and seek, just as in life! Have fun, be filthy! Do not return alone!”

Jen swallowed and nodded.

“I won’t,”

“Go then! Good luck,  _ aminya  _ Jen! ”

At this cue, the assembled Podlings burst into cheers, banging pots and pans together. Drinks were downed (and offered to Jen, who politely declined them all) and so many songs began that it was impossible to make them out. Little Hebbi was so overwhelmed with excitement that she threw her doll into the bushes and didn’t even bother to retrieve it. Jen turned around and looked at the forest path. He patted his pocket gently, ensuring the firca was inside. Then he set off, without a single backward glance. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay except I'm soooorrryyyyy! God I fully intended to have this done by May. Anyway, I'm so glad that some of my personal headcanons about podling culture wound up being proven right by the show! Speaking of the show, GOD. MY FUCKING HEART. Anyway, next chapter is KIra's POV and should (do not take me at my word) be up within a month. Lemme know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is dedicated to my adopted child, who was bemoaning the lack of Dark Crystal Fanfiction. Also I promise the necromancy is minimal and plot relevant. Also I posted this on mobile. There are two more chapters coming, so ignore the 1/1


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